Texas Rangers Blog

Grant: How a green rotation could define — or derail — Rangers’ season

SURPRISE, Ariz. — This is what the Rangers know about Yu Darvish: He is 25, throws hard and downhill and has the body to be an exceptional big league pitcher.

Here is what they don’t know: What kind of big league pitcher will he end up being?
That’s a big question. What makes it the biggest question of a spring training camp that starts Wednesday is that it’s not just limited to Darvish.

The Rangers are loaded with upside. They are sorely lacking in experience.
Darvish doesn’t have a major league start. Neither does Neftali Feliz.

Matt Harrison had a great first half last year and struggled down the stretch in the second. Derek Holland had the inverse situation. Colby Lewis is expected to be the opening day starter against the Chicago White Sox. His first start of the season will be the 99th of his career.

It speaks to the Rangers’ prodigious young talent that they don’t have a guy with 100 big league starts and still enter the season as a viable playoff contender. It also speaks to the risk. One or more of these guys could flame out.
To read the rest of Evan Grant’s column, click here.